She’s now living near Los Angeles, working for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. It’s a regional wholesaler that delivers water to 26-member public agencies – 14 cities, 11 municipal water districts, one county water authority – which in turn provides water to 19 million people in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura counties.

Spoo-Chupka’s expertise is to monitor the algae in the waters to make sure the drinking water is safe.

“We have 9 surface water reservoirs,” she explained, “the Colorado River Aqueduct, 5 drinking water treatment plants (four of which are included in the 10 largest in the world), 16 hydroelectric plants, and 819 miles of large scale pipes, so large I can walk through them!”

In other words, Spoo-Chupka, now 35, has a very big, technically challenging job.

“As a biologist (phycologist) I monitor algae in our reservoirs and water conveyance systems,” she continued, “identify problem-causing organisms, use monitoring data to predict when problem algae/cyanobacteria may occur, and develop management strategies to mitigate problem causing organisms while maintaining healthy ecosystems.”

“Algae/cyanobacteria,” she further explained, “can cause several problems in reservoirs that make treating the water for drinking difficult. These issues include clogging filters, producing toxins, and producing taste and odor compounds that give the water off-flavors (earthy flavor) that are perceived as bad.”

Growing up in Granville, Spoo-Chupka recalled, “I always enjoyed the outdoors. I would steal my mom’s nail polish and tag turtles so I could track their movements and populations in the neighborhood.”

She credits her interest in science to her “supportive and encouraging” parents, Cheri and Kevin Spoo, a chemist at Owens Corning. She also credits the “passionate” teachers and curriculum at Granville High School. “The classes let me know I could handle the rigors of scientific work,” she said.

A true turning moment, she said, came when her high school guidance counselor encouraged her to attend a marine biology program for gifted students. “This solidified everything,” Spoo-Chupka said. “I was introduced to algae for the first time and I was sold.”

After graduation from GHS in 2001, she earned a BS in marine biology at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, another BS in plant cellular molecular biology at Ohio State and a master’s in microbiology at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

She worked in Cleveland from 2009 to 2012, developing strains of algae that converted to biofuels. She holds a patent in this area, entitled Methods for Improved Mixed Trophic Algal Culture.

Spoo-Chupka moved to California in 2012 with husband Jonathon Chupka. “He’s a bit of a science whiz too,” she said. Her husband also graduated from Granville High School and now works for the City of Hope Cancer Research Hospital, where he performs clinical trials using gene therapy on patients with AIDS and other diseases.

“As a girl,” Spoo-Chupka concluded, “I know how important it was to see women doing what I dreamed of, knowing if they could do it, I could too. There are so many resources for young women in STEM today. I encourage parents, teachers and counselors to seek out opportunities for the budding scientist in their life.”

About the series

This story is part of an ongoing Business Advocate series about women in STEM careers. If you have a story suggestion, email advocate@newarkadvocate.com.